It’s a new year and a time to try new things in the casino. Poker, Roulette, Blackjack and slots will always be the kings of online gaming, but here are three more games which you may, or may not, have heard of before. All of them are worth getting to grips with, because although it may take several years to become skilled enough to reap rewards, the payouts can be potentially massive.

Baccarat

Baccarat is well known as the main plot point of the novel Casino Royale, and for being a personal favourite of James Bond. However, playing with the same confidence as 007 takes a bit more than mere luck. The rules themselves are quite simple. Once a player has agreed to deal, both themselves and the banker get two cards.

Very much like Blackjack, a favourite amongst those that frequent the online casino with Sun Bets, the two cards add up to make a whole number. However, only the second digit is counted. For instance, An Ace and a King are worth 21 in Blackjack, an unassailable winning number, but only 1 in Baccarat. Thus, the only thing worse is two royalty cards, which are worth zero in Baccarat. By contrast, a King and a Nine (or any other combination that makes nine) is a ‘natural nine’ – unbeatable in Baccarat.

Once the player has received their cards and seen their combined value, they can opt to Draw or Stand. On a land casino, the player would say “card” if they wished to draw, and improve their initial total. However, there is a catch in drawing, and the new total could exceed nine, putting the player on something useless like zero or one.

For instance, an initial total of five gives the player around a 50% chance of winning, regardless of whether they choose to stand or draw. Drawing a four would make nine, and practically guarantee victory, while drawing another five would result in zero – and certain defeat. At ‘Big Table’ Baccarat, one of the three varieties in existence, a losing player can say “Suivi” and force another deal. This time, however, the stakes are double that of the previous round.

After ‘Big Table’, the other types of Baccarat are ‘Midi’ and ‘Mini’. In both games, the first two cards are revealed, and the player then opts to draw or stand. It makes for a faster paced game, and will likely be the form that it takes online. The only difference between ‘Midi’ and ‘Mini’ are the number of players, the size of the table and the height of the stakes.

Big Six

You’ve all seen ‘Wheel of Fortune’, and Big Six works in a very similar way. Imagine a Roulette wheel, but with 54 segments instead of just 38. In 52 of the segments, there are varying amounts of money, with the best amounts varying between online casinos. The other two segments are a joker and a company logo – utterly worthless, and (in the era of online gaming) probably accompanied by an annoying sound effect.

With money almost guaranteed, it’s difficult to resist this game’s lure – but, as ever, there is a catch. You need to wager on a specific segment, or symbol, to win that amount. £1 is the most common outcome, giving a £1 bet an optimal risk/reward balance without much risk of putting a player out of pocket.

Craps

Best known for red dice and the dreaded ‘snake eyes’, Craps is a difficult game to master, and some perseverance is required. However, it is not difficult to understand, and knowing just two elements of the game is enough to begin with.

PASS:

With the sole objective of correctly guessing the outcome of a two-dice roll, this is the go-to bet for a majority of players. 7 or 11 are the magic numbers for players that opt to bet the pass, and if every player bets the pass, they win or lose together. A total of 2 (two ones or ‘snake eyes’) 3 or 12 represents defeat for pass players.

A total of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 will force the ‘shooter’ to roll again. This time, anything between 4 and 11 (except for 7) results in a win for anybody opting to play the pass. As usual, a total of 2, 3, 7 or 12 results in defeat for those that play the pass.

If a shooter is playing for a point (has rolled 4-10 except for 7) a player can also make a side bet if they feel extra-confident that the total will be 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on the second roll of the dice.

DON’T PASS:

Commonly used by more experienced players, this is (unsurprisingly) the exact opposite of pass. The comradeship of a pass option is entirely absent, as 2, 3, 12 or (on the second roll) 7. Defeat for players that don’t pass is far more galling, but the rewards are all the sweeter.

The lower ‘house edge’ also makes this, marginally, the less risky of the two mainstream options.

FIELD

The ‘Field’ option is a third way for players looking to make a quick, opportunistic win for even money. A field player wins if the dice show 2-4 or 10-12, but different values yield different payouts, depending on the casino’s particular rules. If playing the field online, knowing the terms and conditions is very important.